Namida Oyobi Warai
by Marisol Akyri
Summary: Eight different fandoms, twenty-two different characters, one same goal. Based solely on the plot of the anime/manga series Bokurano, watch as your beloved anime characters like k & h all fall prey to the suffering, as well as laughter, that awaits them.
1. Prologue

_I never would have thought that anything like what I've experienced was possible. The first time I saw the giant, black, robot standing before the fifteen of us was a moment I would never forget. Fifteen of us…And my sister and I are the only ones left. Actually, though, I'm not even certain whether or not my sister's still alive. I haven't seen her for what feels like a year, though it's probably been less than that. What you should know is that there is a contest in which every "Earth" – and yes, there is more than one – must participate. Each Earth is assigned a robot that will protect it from others as well as attack others on other Earths. This robot is piloted by one of whatever number of humans that are contracted for its use. That contracted human will pilot it using sheer will and thought. If the enemy is defeated, then the winning pilot dies. The losing pilot will also die. But, the Earth assigned to that robot will also be obliterated. Then, the next pilot will be chosen to fight and die again._

_We all try to think of it as a "Game". It is a method of natural selection for every Earth in every dimension. No one can stop it. The Earths (and their respective universes) with the best pilots will continue on and any Earths will inferior pilots will cease to exist along with their universes. That is how it always has been, since the beginning of the multiverse._

_I participated in such a Game. Like every other robot, ours had a peculiar creature who accompanied the pilots as a source of guidance and minor assistance. These creatures are rather small, seemingly mechanical, very similar to what you would expect a stuffed animal for a small child would look like. They each have a name and a color scheme. They possess teleportation abilities and choose between the pilots for each battle._

_After I defeated the final enemy threatening my Earth, I watched as our source of guidance, Koyemshi ("dung beetle", in English) regained his old human form. The opposite happened to me. I changed form into a being very similar to what Koyemshi had been. He told me to call him Kokopellii, the name of the man who had recruited (or, perhaps, "drafted" would be a better word for it) myself and fourteen others. So, Koyemshi (as I will continue to refer to him), drafted more kids as pilots for the robot before dying when he finished off the first of the robots as an example to the others. That's another thing: The pilot who destroys the last enemy continues on in either Koyemshi's position, or in the late Kokopellii's position. Guidance or recruitment. After saving my Earth, I took on the role of guidance and the kids I was assigned to managed to save their Earth as well. However, the last pilot had a request: It was simple. He wanted to die, instead of going on to act as guidance. I understood. I let him kill himself._

_So, here I am, in my human form again. I'm in the position of recruiting for the robot, which I have named Zearth in honor of the robot that had saved my Earth. However, I've decided that I would not recruit children. Definitely, they are more easy to trick into thinking that they are about to sign a contract to play a "videogame". And, the more life force someone has, the more life force Zearth will have. But, it's struck me that that's the exact reason I shouldn't recruit children. So much life left to live…My comrades all died too young, most of them leaving important people behind. So, I have instead decided to recruit teenagers. They have enough life force to sufficiently pilot Zearth, but…Somehow, it seems less cruel to have them die at this time of their lives._

_Of course, if I could stop the game, I would. But, I can't. So, someone has to fight for their Earth. And so here I am, waiting in a chair in a building that I'm renting practically in the middle of nowhere. I've sent vague, specialized invitations to two well known high school clubs and one other organization knowledgeable in the use of their own type of robots. And now I'm waiting. And waiting. Waiting for their arrival. At the entrance, there is an "Identification Pad" with an official-looking sign telling the unsuspecting visitors to place their hands upon it in order to be let in. Well, that's actually what you would call a trap. Once someone follows the sign's instructions, they are locked into a contract with Zearth. And they must pilot and die to save their Earth. They must play the Game._

_Do I feel regret upon doing this? Naturally, since I myself know what awaits these teens. They were sent here thinking it as just a destination, a place where their individual wanting of fun will be fulfilled. These teens probably have never experienced death in their lives, never had to go through the despair seeing your comrades and friend giving their life. Give their life so willingly for battle. Because in reality, this is a battle. And in the end, especially near the end, I've found that we all tend to accept it. With grace even. As an honor. But that still doesn't hide the raw brutality and ruthless nature of these games._

_So I will sit back, and watch them appear one by one. I'll wait until they all show before explaining, fully prepared to have to deal with the usual reactions. Many will be in denial, a good deal unbelieving. No one will be crying, no one will be begging to leave. Not yet. Because as the first pilot is chosen, in a very short amount of time, no one will know anything. These teens, wouldn't know exactly the cost their fighting will have on themselves and other._

_So am I a sadist, just a sick being of a thirteen year old boy, watching these people sign their lives away? I don't deny it, not in the slightest. For the quest of Zearth I had been forced to do the unimaginable, forced to go through this hellish process, not once but twice. And now for a third time. And what will happen to me after this? I'm not sure. Fade into nothingness? I hope so. So then my time here involved with this, utter sadness can end. But hopefully, this time may be different. Perhaps there will be a way, to free these teens. One can only hope._

**________________________________________________**

Jun Ushiro's first guests were not ones that he had invited.

"Ushiro Jun!"

The Ushiro in question, stood up and spun around to meet what appeared to be two creatures of the same form that Koyemshi and Jun himself had taken in the past. Both were floating in the air casually, as if they had been there for quite some time. Each had their own color scheme. One was primarily an electric green with black cheeks. The other was red, though also with black cheeks.

"You're Ushiro Jun, yes?" The green one, whose voice had rang out earlier, inquired.

"Yes…" Jun raised an eye brow cautiously.

"Well, then. Good. That means we're at the right place. We're here to guide the pilots for this Earth's robot."

"Why?" Jun asked. "I'm already going to be guiding the pilots myself."

The green one seemed to clear his possibly nonexistent throat for a moment before speaking.

"Ah, yes, but you're going to be _dying_ after the introduction battle. And it's not like you'll be able to tell them everything they need to know before you are gone." There was a hint of sarcasm in this one's voice. It reminded Jun eerily of Koyemshi's attitude.

"Point taken." Jun frowned slightly. "But, just two questions: Why are there two of you and what are your names?"

The red one groaned quietly at the first question. Apparently, it wasn't something he liked to think about.

"Couldn't agree more with you." The green one muttered in response to the red one's discontent before turning back to Jun. "I'll answer your questions in a different order. I am Haga Insector. Insector Haga, if there was a Japan on your Earth too."

Jun nodded to indicate that there was indeed a Japan on his Earth as well.

"Hm. All right, then." Haga continued. "That guy over there is my apprentice – Yagami Light. We're basically stuck together because that guy was an extremely intelligent mass murderer, who used a notebook to kill thousands of people." He almost seemed to be reciting this blandly, as if it hardly had any emotional effect on him anymore, if it ever had. "So, naturally, the law got to him and he wound up bleeding to death after being shot a few good times by a cop. Apparently, though, the guy's will to live was so strong, _they_ decided they didn't want to waste that will power. So, _they_ decided he would remain alive in the form you see him in now, to help out with the Game." The "they" in question were, of course, the Masterminds, who were supposedly behind all of this robot battle and natural selection of the Earths.

"But, there weren't any empty positions for the Earths at the time of Light's death. And, even more importantly, how could Light guide a whole bunch of pilots if he'd never even seen a robot fight before? So, that's why they stuck him with me. I'm his mentor, now." Haga obviously didn't bother to hide the utter resentment in his voice. "So, I get to boss him around and insult the crazy, psychopathic, murderer. And it's pretty easy to find his weak points. I mean, for crying out loud! The guy actually thinks he's a _god_! Can't get much more narcissistic than-"

During Haga's entire explanation (monologue), the Yagami Light in question had been vibrating at an increasingly violent manner. And it was at this moment when he finally hissed,

"Will you _shut up_, Bug Boy? I was bringing justice to my Earth. I _would have been_ the god of the new world, had those mortals not intervened."

"OOH! What did I tell you? Weak point found. Checkmate. Game set." Haga laughed before turning to Light. "Oh, and how is 'bug boy' a proper insult, anyway? I _like_ insects! So, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good. Then, that's what I'll call you from now on." Light deadpanned.

"Go ahead, _God_." Haga shot back sarcastically.

"All right. Enough of this." Jun shook his head. "I hope you two will get along long enough to actually assist the pilots…"

"I can't make any promises!" Haga laughed before looking around the room. "Speaking of the pilots, where are they? _Please_, don't tell me you haven't recruited any, yet…"

"I've sent out invitations." Jun replied, pointedly ignoring the condescending tone in Haga's voice. "They should be arriving soon. There's an 'Identification Pad' at the entrance. Each person I've invited will place their hand upon it to be let in, but automatically be contracted to Zearth when they do so."

"Hmm…Clever." Haga sounded pleased. "Wait…So, you've given the robot a name? Huh. Well, I guess you're not the first."

"Actually, one of the pilots who helped fight for my Earth did…I've decided to use the name in that pilot's honor."

"Well, that sounds noble." Light muttered quietly, with a hint of bitter sarcasm. The sarcasm seemed to have little reasonable explanation and Jun was some what puzzled.

Noticing this, Haga chuckled and looked at Jun.

"Ignore Light, by the way. He's terribly ego-bruised after his whole 'death-by-mortal-weapon'. He thought he was a god, remember? So, anyway, Zearth then. That works. But, the pilots will probably get freaked out if they see us here with you. Think we should leave for a while?"

Jun nodded.

"Talk to the pilots after my intro battle's done."

"Roger that." Haga turned to Light. "Off to 'Zearth' for now, Light. We'll have to wait a little longer to meet those poor, doomed, souls…I mean, 'pilots'."

And, with that, both Haga and Light disappeared and Jun was left to rest his forehead in his hands as he waited for the arrival of those "poor, doomed, souls" as Haga had put it before needlessly correcting himself. The guests in question would wait in the only other room in the building. There would be chairs for all of them. Jun would wait for the door buzzer to sound three times. Once for each invited group. Once it did, Jun would greet his trapped pilots. And, shortly after that, the game would begin.

* * *

**mmk. this is the first chapter of namida oyobi warai. laughter as well as tears. for a promo vid, and exactly who and from what different animes are going to get involved, please go to my youtube account link on my profile, and watch the featured vid. by the title you'll know it's the right one. this fanfic is co-written by me, marisol akyri, and may never know. we don't cliam ANY ownership or whatnot to the many different various animes and characters that will be used, now or in the future. and i warn you now, this isn't going to be all comedy, while it won't be all tragedy either. it's just a fanfic, based on the orignal plot of Bokurano. a very good anime/manga that i suggest for all of you to watch. to possibly get the gist of our story, if you will. so sit back, and prepare to watch a plot unfold like no other! (and just a heads up, we will refer often to the japanese names and spellings of the characters. inspector haga, for all of you people unaware, is the original japanese name of weevil, from yugioh). so, stay tuned for the next chapter of Namida Oyobi Warai!**

**~'til next time (from co-writers Marisol Akyri & May Never Know XD)**


	2. Beginnings

"Attention, Hosts!" Tamaki Suoh had danced into the 3rd music room with the brilliant smile that made girls swoon on a regular basis. "The seven of us have officially been invited to attend an official discussion of the culture of commoners!"

Haruhi Fujioka's pleasant discussion had been cut short when the words "discussion", "culture", and "commoners" all struck her with their full force. She had felt horrified to realize that Tamaki had used the words, "seven of us". Which meant that Miss Fujioka would be dragged along as well.

"We'll get to learn more about Haruhi?" Mitsukuni Haninozuka (most commonly known as "Huni") had chirped excitedly. "Yay! Let's go!"

Haruhi's groan wasn't even noticed as most of the Host Club left, with the Hitachiin twins dragging the poor Fujioka girl off with them.

"Come on, Haruhi! It'll be fun!" They really had no idea whether it would be fun or not.

-----

Tamaki was the King of the host club and, if he wanted something, he would get it. But, not out of respect per se, but rather because he would whine and possibly grow mushrooms in a corner somewhere if he didn't get his way. Which was why the entire Ouran High School Host Club was eventually standing in front of the entrance of what appeared to be a very shabby-looking, old, warehouse building in the middle of practically nowhere. In fact, it was in such a location that there was no street address. The Host Club had simply been given a map, which they had to give to the pilot on the Ohtori private jet.

"Why in the world would a discussion, or meeting, of any kind be held _here_?" Haruhi asked absent-mindedly.

Tamaki seemed to be thinking for a moment (BAD) before snapping his fingers in realization.

"This warehouse's condition represents the lower-class condition of the commoners of which we will be discussing! I understand! It's going to help us empathize with their unfortunate circumstances…" He went on babbling like that and, the more he babbled, the more irritated a Haruhi Fujioka (a commoner herself) grew in the background.

"'Identification Pad'. Hmm…" Kaoru read the sign out loud while completely ignoring Tamaki. "'Touch pad with your hand and say your name out loud, then you will be allowed inside'. All right. Sounds good."

"Sounds suspicious to me." Hikaru muttered.

But, it was Tamaki's turn to ignore Hikaru. The Host Club King absent-mindedly touched the pad, said his name, and lifted his hand away. A quiet "beep" soon followed the action. He smiled.

"See? Nothing wrong."

"_Yet_." Kyouya murmured with a chuckle. This was enough to terrify Tamaki.

So, the Host Club waited. They waited for five long minutes. Nothing but a gentle breeze happened.

Hikaru spoke.

"All right. I'm…"

"Bored." Kaoru connected before each one placed his hand against the "Identification Pad" (IP, for short) and stated his name out loud.

Takashi Morinozuka followed suit and gave Huni a boost so that the loli-shota could use the IP as well. After some hesitation, Haruhi pressed her hand to the IP with a pensive expression as she spoke her name.

When Kyouya's turn came, he also hesitated. He'd never seen such technology before. But, he wouldn't leave the entire Host Club in a room in the middle of nowhere, with unknown company. So, he supposed he'd have no choice but to use the IP and research later.

Everyone having gotten themselves "identified", Tamaki pushed the doors to the warehouse building open and stepped inside. The sight that greeted the Host Club was plain enough – Fifteen chairs in three rows of five facing the other side of a large room. Each chair looked cheap, made of wood with a thread-bare cushion. So, naturally, Tamaki chirped,

"Ah! More examples of commoner furnishings!" before eagerly skipping through the room and sitting down in the front row. The twins, still dragging Haruhi, followed his example. Hikaru sat next to Tamaki as well as on one side of Haruhi and Kaoru sat on her other side. Tamaki did not look happy about this. With Huni on his shoulders, Mori walked over and sat next to Kaoru. Kyouya took it upon himself to sat next to Tamaki and calm the poor Host Club King down.

And now there was nothing left to do but wait.

"Haha! Victory is finally ours!"

A certain brunette had burst into the ex-Literary but still not officially SOS Brigade club room. The peaceful silence that engulfed the present four members had been sadly shattered, with their Brigade leader's arrival.

Kyon had the side of his face propped up, eyes resiting the urge to be rolled. "And why is victory ours?" "

"Because! Because we finally are being called upon for our unique talents!"

Kyon glanced around, to see if anyone else thought this different. Yuki was, as usual reading a book. Miss Asahina was dusting the shelves, quite cutely Kyon would add, and Koizumi…

Kyon snapped his head up, seeing the esper reach and take the paper out of Haruhi's hands..

"We are requesting your skills at paranomal phenomena to help us with our current problem.." Koizumi was furrowing his brows as he read on, Haruhi just nodding more confidently. "So please come to this location as soon as you can. Bring only yourselves."

The paper was placed on the table, a map laid down next to it. Kyon inched over, one eye on the map the other on the boy.

"Koizumi, what do you make of this?" The fellow brown-haired male sat down across from Kyon, mouth in a smile once again. "Well, I don't really think I should be at opinion to say. If Miss Suzumiya wants to finally put our club to use, then let her."

Kyon flashed the boy a flat stare. He really was too nice for his own good half the time. And Kyon had yet to determine if Koizumi acted so polite to be a smart-aleck, or just because he was. Both options were inhuman to him.

So Haruhi, managing to steal Miss Asahina from her dusting, was prancing around the room with her, hand in hand. Kyon turned in his seat, voice raised. "And you're fully expecting us to waste our afternoon today to help in what probably is some bogus mission, or trick?"

The next thing he saw was stars, as Haruhi successfully gave the skeptic a back-hand across the head.

"Shut up Kyon! No one cares what you think anyways!"

Koizumi smiled nervously, Asahina standing by with blatant worry on her face. "S-Should you have hit him that hard?" "Oh please! He's a big boy. I'm sure he'll live." Kyon stayed on the ground, hands rubbing the now throbbing back of his head. Yuki just looked up, and turned another page.

-------

So now the SOS Brigade found themselves at the entrance of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

But honestly, did no one besides Kyon think that this area was screaming trouble? You don't go to abandoned buildings, and you especially don't mess with whatever weird technology they have!

So Kyon stood back with Yuki, as Miss Asahina was dragged along with their hyper-active brown haired girl. "Yuki, don't you think all of this is a little suspicious?" "Maybe."

Her voice devoid of all emotion did wonders for his nerves. "So that means you feel bad about this too?" "Possibly." "Are you going to identify yourself, or whatever that weird machine asks you too?"

Here silence greeted him, and Kyon felt a vein twitch as Yuki strolled forward, placing her hand and calling out her name. Much help she was.

Kyon turned to Koizumi, who gave him an embarrassed shrug before doing the same.

Haruhi, anxious to get in, yelled out to the boy, hands on her hips. "Come on Kyon! We're all waiting for you!"

Kyon rolled his eyes, scuffling up to the device, ignoring Haruhi's threats of her death penalty. It was old news really.

Kyon placed his hand tentatively atop, calling out his real name for once. Everyone was unfazed as they entered, but Haruhi gave Kyon a smirk. "So that's your real name? Pretty boring if you ask me." Kyon resisted the urge to strangle Haruhi as he walked in behind, eyes settling on the crowd of teens already there.

They were in uniforms that didn't look at any public school he knew, and they varied widely in personalities. He settled into the back row, slouching in the chair. Haruhi hopped in the seat next to him, then Koizumi, then Miss Asahina and Yuki.

Hopefully whatever paranormal problem or whatever they were asked to be here for would soothe Haruhi down. He didn't need her getting mad and throwing them into a world of insanity again, like she always does.

So the SOS Brigade sat back and waited, for the seats in front of them to be filled.

Lelouch Lamperouge had been extremely surprised to receive an anonymous letter inviting him to a meeting to "discuss" Britannia's future. The context of this letter made it quite clear that it was a meeting to "discuss" ways to overthrow Britannia. Now, while Lelouch's alter-ego being "Zero" would mean that there was no chance in hell of him actually joining whatever group this meeting was going to form, that didn't mean that he couldn't find some way to recruit those at the meeting behind the scenes and have them join the Black Rebellion.

Yes, that sounded like a very good idea. Lelouch would attend and he would bring C.C. as well. He did not believe that it would be a good idea to go to a meeting like this alone after all. And, in reality, C.C. was probably the only one he could trust at this time.

But, then there was just one question: How would they get there? Eventually, Lelouch won a bet on a chess game and managed to get Rivalz to let him borrow his motorbike. So, Lelouch rode the motorbike while C.C. sat in the side car and told him which way to go, using the map that had come with their invitation.

"Stop." C.C. finally said in the middle of a long stretch of road. She pointed into the nearby forest that lined the road. "I suppose we'll have to go on foot till we reach the meeting location."

Lelouch frowned, realizing he'd have to push the motorbike along with him through the forest.

"Very well, then." So, he disembarked the bike before pushing it off the road and towards the forest with C.C. following after him and examining the map so that they wouldn't get lost.

It was a good ten minutes before anyone spoke again.

"Lelouch." C.C. looked up from the map. "Doesn't this seem strange to you?"

"Like a trap, you mean?" Lelouch smiled weakly after C.C. nodded. "C.C., why would they try to put me in a trap? No one but you knows my identity. To everyone else, including everyone in charge of Britannia, I'm simply a high school student at Ashford academy."

"I know. But…"

"Don't worry. As long as my identity is safe, we're safe."

And so the rest of the forest walk went silently. When they finally reached the building that the map indicated, Lelouch examined the sign on a metal plate.

"'Identification Pad', hmm…? Well, that's somewhat worrisome…"

"Don't worry." C.C. chuckled. "As long as they haven't identified your alternate identity, I doubt that it'll be a problem.

"You're right, I suppose…" And, with that, Lelouch placed his hand upon the metal plate, spoke his fake name, and heard a faint "beep".

"My turn, then." C.C. walked over and placed her hand on the plate before also speaking her fake name. Another beeping noise was heard and the two were about to enter the building when they heard a very familiar voice.

"Lelouch? What are she and you doing here?" Oh, no, Lelouch thought. It was Suzaku. "Did you come to spy on the rebels, too?"

"Yes." Lelouch lied smoothly. "But, you might not want to say that out loud, considering the company we're probably going to be in…"

"No need to lower my voice." Suzaku said with a shrug. "I've heard about this old place. The walls are completely sound-proof."

"Ah." Lelouch smiled slightly. "So, anyway, you got an invitation as well?"

"Yeah." Suzaku nodded. "These rebels are really careless…They probably would have gotten crushed by Britannia whether or not people were actually spying on them."

"I'd say so." Lelouch mumbled dryly. Suzaku was going to be a problem when it came to recruitment for the Black Knights, Lelouch was sure of it. But, how to get him to leave…?

"'Identification Pad', huh…? All right, then. Since I've been sent this letter, it probably means they think I'm on their side, so there should be no harm done, right?" And, with that, Suzaku placed his hand against the IP and gave his name.

"Let's go, then." Lelouch said with a nod as the three pushed the doors open and entered the building to find at least twelve other people in a room with fifteen chairs.

The people in the front row wore matching uniforms, making it clear to Lelouch that these students belonged to an extremely prestigious institution, even more so than Ashford Academy. And they all seemed to act differently from each other, with the exception of a set of twins who Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C. simply couldn't tell apart. There was also someone that could have been male or female, for all the Lelouch or his companions knew. In the back row there sat five high school students – three girls and two boys. They also wore school uniforms, but from a clearly more mundane high school.

All of these people had one thing in common: They didn't look like rebels.

"This doesn't feel right…" Suzaku murmured to himself so that no one else could hear as the three of them took the last three of the seats. Lelouch sat in the middle with Suzaku and C.C. sitting on either side of him.

It wasn't long before the doors in the back of the room opened and a boy, who appeared to be no older than thirteen, stepped in. He had black hair, pale skin, and wore glasses. It occurred to a few in the Host Club that he looked a fair amount like Kyouya Ohtori.

"Good afternoon, Guests." The child spoke as if he were an adult. "My name is Ushiro Jun. I am here to tell you that you have all been tricked."

Lelouch was about ready to jump out of his seat then and there, but he realized that this boy was alone. There were no other sounds in the building. There was nothing a single child could do to so many people…was there?

"What your respective invitations told you were almost entirely lies." The boy named Jun continued. "This is not a conference discussion on 'commoners', nor is it a bureau with the purpose of investigating the supernatural, nor is it an anti-Britannia meeting. Rather, we are here to play a game."

There was an uproar.

"Wh…What?" Haruhi Fujioka wasn't sure that she'd heard all of that right. What was going on?

"A commoner game?" Tamaki grabbed hopelessly at straws. He was promptly ignored by all.

"Is this some kind of trap?!" Lelouch hissed loudly, extremely annoyed and confused. Beside him, Suzaku nodded.

Kyon groaned.

"Ugh…I just knew this would be a bad idea…"

"A game?! What kind of game?!?!?!?! What's going on?!" Haruhi Suzumiya was shouting repeatedly, flailing her arms and stomping her feet. Yuki remained quiet while Asahina seemed to be trying to hide in her chair. So many people were shouting.

"I second that inquiry." Kyouya spoke coldly. "What, exactly, were we called her for?"

"And, more importantly," Kaoru began.

"When can we leave?" Hikaru connected. Both were rather angry at being dragged to this warehouse with false pretenses.

"The game is that fifteen robots will come to attack your earth. Fourteen of you as well as myself will help protect the earth by controlling a giant black robot. You have all already been contracted into doing so by the metal plate outside. And so you have no choice but to participate. There are more rules. But, those will be explained later."

There was a long pause. Then, Huni spoke.

"Hmm…That actually sounds kind've cool!!! Is it a virtual reality game?"

"You'll find out." Jun assured them before turning and leaving the room. It was time for him to contact Haga and Light.

And, left with that note, the fifteen people in the room stared at each other. What was going to happen? Would Jun return with some sort of powerful technology?

They never found out whether or not he did, though. Because, one by one, each person in the room found him or herself passing out for seemingly no reason. Before a few of them lost consciousness, though, they couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with that metal plate at the entrance of this building…

Haruhi Fujioka's eye lids slowly opened and she found herself staring at the sky while lying on her back in a small clearing of grass. They were still in the forest, she thought to herself. But, wait, so it wasn't a dream? As the sole female host sat up to look around, she was very surprised to see that it most definitely _hadn't_ been a dream. Around her were the fourteen other people, some of them waking up as she had and some of them still unconscious. So, she hadn't dreamt about those eight strangers? But, then…What about the game they were all supposed to play?

Before Haruhi F. could speak and ask others what was going on, though, there was a heavy tremor that woke up anyone who hadn't already done so. Then, another tremor was felt and people began to stand up in a confused daze.

"Wh-What's going on? So, it wasn't a dream? But, then where's the game?" Haruhi Suzumiya sounded as confused as just about everyone else felt.

"I don't know. But, more importantly, how did we get out here?" Tamaki asked as he stood up. For once, there was seriousness in his tone. This wasn't the most carefree of times.

"I don't think anybody knows." Hikaru rubbed the back of his head.

"I just remember falling asleep in that old warehouse after that kid talked to all of us." Kaoru muttered, shaking his head.

"So strange…" Kyon sighed. "And are we in an earth quake or something?"

The tremor had become rhythmic, like footsteps. One vibration after another. Suzaku even eventually got tired of just waiting around and listening. He got up and began to run towards where he thought he had heard a grating of metal in the distance. Lelouch also got up and followed after him. She was quickly tailed by C.C. Seeing others get up and go, Haruhi Suzumiya turned to the S.O.S. Brigade.

"Come on, already! Something weird is finally happening!" She sounded more delighted now than confused as she turned and ran off after the three that had left. Yuki and Koizumi immediately followed suit. Kyon just sighed, really regretting allowing himself to be dragged into this before he took a somewhat hesitant Asahina's hand and they ran off after the rest of the Brigade.

All of them were shortly followed by the ever-curious and currently confused Host Club. Haruhi F., in all honesty, wondered why they were running towards what sounded like an earth quake. But, when she too heard the scrape of metal, it made her realize that this _wasn't_ an earthquake. The same went for Kyouya, who remembered something,

"Didn't that boy mention a…_robot_?" He whispered just in time for the Host Club to emerge from the forest trees on to a cliff with a beautiful view of the sea below. The sight before them was that of the S.O.S. Brigade as well as Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C. all staring dumbfounded (except in the case of Yuki, who seemed only slightly fazed) at what appeared to be black robot roughly 500 meters tall. It wasn't long before the Host Club, too, began to fill with shocked expressions.

"Ohhh…" Huni spoke. "So, it _wasn't_ an earthquake."

* * *

**DUNDUNDUN!! Our story begins…And reviews please? T_T they are accepted and read with love! And now, things are going to get fun.**

**~til next time**


	3. Lessons

Haruhi stumbled back a few steps, hand waving wildly at the machine in front of them. "OH MY GOD!!! Look at that....AWESOME thing!" Haruhi spoke of it as if it was the most amazing thing that had ever graced her life.

Kyon stood next to her, arms waving in a more frustrated manner. " Haruhi...it's a 500 meter high robot. WHATS IT DOING HERE OF ALL PLACES?!"

Yuki, ever so calm, stood by next to Koizumi and miss Asahina. "It's program is similar, yet varies of the design my superiors have used for centuries."

Koizumi cracked a smile. "Well that has to be the most Miss Yuki has said."

Haruhi stopped her rant momentarily to address this. "EVER!"

Asahina clasped her hands, body nervously wiggling from side to side. "Don't you think we should group with the other teenagers? They look as lost as us…"

Kyon took this moment to his advantage, walking right up to the red head. "Right! So let me take your hand Miss Asahina."

She mewed out a quiet, "O-Okay," Before Kyon took grasp of her hand, walking to the group of teens most like themselves he was guessing.

The rest of the Brigade followed suit, Koizumi moving to the front.

He tried to address who he felt was the leader. So to the glasses-clad boy he asked,

"I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you club or whatever reasons you or anyone is doing this-" he was cut short as Haruhi slammed herself down in front of the Ohtori.

"Hey buddy, do you have any idea in that rich kid brain of yours to get us the hell into that robot?!"

Kyon dropped Miss Asahina's hand, aghast. "You want to get INTO it?!"

Kyouya raised an eyebrow at the antics of the two brown-haired students in front of him. "To be honest, I'm just as perplexed about this as all of you. But, if it helps...I believe that that Ushiro boy told us we would be piloting a black robot to protect the world from other robots. So-"

Tamaki appeared next to Kyouya, who winced as he boomed out close to his ear. "We're going to be piloting THAT?!"

Hikaru linked arms with his twin, eyes wide with anticipation. "Cool!" Kaoru nodded in agreement. "It looks awesome!"

Haruhi F though stayed back, eyes wary at the black robot. "Didn't that boy mention something about defending the earth from fifteen other robots...?"

Huni jumped out of Mori's arms, head titled back as he tried to look to the top of the robot. "WOOOOWWWW...We're going to be fighting that big robot over there!" Mori cast the boy a quick glance. "Ah."

Lelouch turned to his companions, brow furrowed. "I've never seen anything like this...These things are a thousand times larger than our Knightmares..."

C.C. stood by, unfazed at the appearance of the second robot. "That's because they're not man-made. Alien technology of some sort...I can tell."

Suzaku scratched his head. "How in the world are we going to be piloting these things? It looks like the sort of thing that should be far too heavy to even move..." He looked away, muttering to himself. "I feel like this is something I should ask Lloyd about."

Haruhi huffed off, obviously annoyed at the lack of an answer. "Yes giant robots may be exciting, but if have no idea what to use them for..."

Kyon rolled out his usual statement of sarcasm. "What if we don't want to know?"

Asahina was trembling, walking up to Kyon. "I have a bad feeling about this Kyon." She made sure Haruhi was walking away, to get a closer look at the robots before continuing. "S-Something on the astral plane, they didn't warn us about this."

Koizumi nodded in agreement. "That's right. And I didn't get any warnings from head quarters either. This is most peculiar indeed."

Yuki stood by. "Yes."

Kyon threw his hands to the air, yelling out to the trees and sky around them.

"OH GREAT! So we're going to have to save the Earth in a robot battle none of you esper time-traveler aliens could predict?! Besides, who BELIVES THIS STUFF ANYWAY?! "

He walked in the middle, all the teens now staring at him.

"If this is for real, I will end up in the cockpit of whatever we're driving, IF it's real."

All 14 teens look at Kyon, and then found themselves transported once again.

Haruhi whistled out. "Son of a gun."

Koizumi looked around at their new surroundings. "Oh my."

Asahina shut her eyes, hands going to her ears. "T-This is bad. I know it i-is!"

Yuki appeared to be studying the walls now surrounding them. "Hmm."

Kyon still stood there, the lack of response a bad one for him. "We're somewhere different aren't we?" He said, exasperated.

Kyouya made his way to the center as well, hand going to his chin. "Mmm. Well, yes."

Huni hopped up, right next to Kyon. "So you're magic too?"

They had all appeared in a large room with no visible walls and a few lights around where they were standing. Said lights didn't seem to have any visible source.

It wasn't long before Lelouch, listening to other students talking, realized that he was not in what you would call, "normal company". But, before he or anyone else could ponder this further, he and his company found themselves all in what seemed to be a large, very dark, room, where everyone currently was.

Tamaki turned to Kyon, eyes wide in disbelief, finger pointed his way. "Wow...are you psychic"

Haruhi F crossed her arms, eyes rolling. "I highly doubt that, Senpai."

Suzaku merely took a few steps back, hand reaching out to touch the dark walls. "Don't tell me we're in..."

Lelouch nodded. "Yes, I think we are, Suzaku."

Hikaru stood next to his twin, who was speechless. "So weird..."

Ushiro Jun was seen sitting in a small chair at the center of the room.

"Yes. You are all inside the robot. It is called, 'Zearth'. As I've told you, the purpose of this 'Game' is to fight fifteen robots and save your Earth. Once a pilot is chosen, an enemy robot will eventually appear. You must use your mind and will to control the robot and defeat the enemy. If you fail, the earth is destroyed."

Kaoru snapped out of his silence. "Wait, what?!"

Lelouch turned to Jun, fists clenched. "Destroyed?! How is this possible?"

Huni blanched, running back to Mori. "Whaaaaat?!"

C.C. brought her fingers together, arms straight out in front of her. "This isn't a game, is it?

Jun shrugged. "It depends on what you define a game as."

Haruhi F. turned to her club members. "Somehow, I knew this wasn't such a good idea..."

A circle of chairs suddenly appeared around the group.

Jun gestured to the newly arrived items of furniture. "Please, take the seats that are familiar to you or that seem to fit you best. I will fight the first enemy as an example. Pay attention because I won't be able to help you any more at the end of this tutorial."

The darkness around the room seemed to disappear and was replaced by a 360 degree view of the outside world, still at night. The enemy robot was in view.

Tamaki ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Wow..."

Eager to start, Haruhi S. Made her way to the wrought iron chair, one you might find in a café. Kyon sighed as he headed towards the chair next to hers. It was as out of place as she was, as he sat back into the simple green desk chair of his. They were directly to Jun's right.

Koizumi's was across the ways, his metal chair seeming to be floating in mid air. Asahina took the all glass it appeared bowl-cut chair to his left. And Yuki sat down next to Asahina, her egalitarian chair also floating.

Warily Lelouch and his group walked over next to Koizumi, on his right. Lelouch sat down on what he recognized the chair from his own Knightmare, but this time a king piece atop it. He smirked to himself as he sat down. "Fitting, is it not Suzaku?"

Suzaku took the chair on Lelouch's right, or at least it was to be a chair. Yet he sat down, perfectly comfortable on his own traditional Tatami mat. C.C plopped down on the orange bean bag chair, reminiscent of her favorite plushie.

Next to Yuki, on her left, was a rather large, black leather office swivel chair. Kyouya sat down on it, while Tamaki joined him on his left, a rather large red and gold tipped throne his seat. Haruhi muttered out "rich bastard", as she took her seat next to Kyon and Tamaki. It was a plain white, wooden chair. Kyon gave her a small smile, pleased that at least someone had a normal chair. The other Haruhi merely gave Fujioka a glare.

On Jun's left, the rest of the Host Club filled out the empty spaces. Mori first with a wooden stool, Huni with a soft, bunny-backed pink chair. Then the twins, each with velvet armchairs of dark pink and dark blue for their colors. This ended up so Hikaru was on C.C.'s right, to complete the circle.

The darkness around the room seemed to disappear and was replaced by a 360 degree view of the outside world. It was a starry night sky. Waves were crashing against the cliffs the teens had been standing on.

Looking up, Kyouya grasped the arms of his chair, eyes straight at Jun. "So now that we're ready, tell us why exactly we are here."

Tamaki piped up next to him. "Yeah! Why is a mini-Kyouya like yourself showing us what to do?"

Kyon twirled in his desk chair, trying not to get dizzy as he looked up and down at the starry sky. "I mean, are you serious about this? And why us of all people?"

Haruhi S. scoffed out at Kyon's question. "It's because we're the SOS Brigade obviously. I mean, I'm not sure what these other losers here are for…"

The twins sat back, amused glances between them. This girl was just like them, female version they supposed.

Everyone else just sat back, waiting to hear exactly what they're were going to do, and whether it was even real or not.

Jun sighed and looked up before speaking so that everyone could hear him.

"To put it simply, you're all here to save the world by piloting this robot. I am here to show you how this works. And yes..." He glanced over at Kyon. "I'm very serious about this."

The twins stared at him.

"You mean you were..." Hikaru began. "...really being serious?" Kaoru connected.

"The world is actually in jeopardy?" Lelouch's eyes widened. "So, then, why haven't we heard about this until now?"

"So..._Why_ us, of all people?" Haruhi Fujioka's eyes were wide as she reiterated Kyon's question after the other brunette gave an answer insufficient for all the others who weren't part of this "S.O.S. Brigade".

"You all haven't heard about this until now because it's just now begun. Trust me," Jun smiled grimly. "You'll see it on the news soon enough. And as for why you were all chosen, to be honest, it was somewhat random for almost all of you but those three..." He looked over at Lelouch, C.C., and Suzaku. "All of you have experience using your own type of robots. And that was why you were chosen."

Suzaku and Lelouch nodded in understanding. While Knightmares may have been a great deal smaller than whatever this was, they were still robots.

But, then Jun focused on the rest of the group.

"However, all of you were brought here simply because I decided to choose two high school clubs some what randomly. The only requirement was that they add together to equal a total of twelve pilots. That just turned out to include both the S.O.S. Brigade and the Ouran High School Host Club. That's all, even if the S.O.S. Brigade proved to be particularly convenient as they were already interested in this sort of thing." He explained.

When he finished, Lelouch spoke."So, this is real. This is actually happening..." His voice had a low tremor to it, still a little bit shocked by it all.

"That, or we're all dreaming the same thing." Hikaru muttered.

"So, after you're done with this battle..." C.C. looked over at Jun. "How will the next one of us be chosen to fight against the next enemy robot?"

"Most likely, at random. But, you'll know if it's you." Jun sighed. "Now, if no one has any questions, I'll begin the battle."

No one did, all still trying to process exactly what they just heard. Kyouya wanted to know how special these three teens across from him where though exactly. Experience piloting their own robots? As far as he could tell no one, especially not the famed Ohtori researchers had succeeded in building robot soldiors. Were they even from the same time zone?

A thought like that may have had the skeptic Kyouya even scoff, cause him to roll his eyes at one point. But now…He brought his attention back to the child who indeed did look like him, as a youngster.

But now, everything he supposed was up for speculation.

Haruhi S. just sat back, foot tapping impatiently. "Hurry up already then! I wanna see some robots clobbering each other!"

Kyon stared at her with incredulity. "Hello!? This is more than a robot demolition special on T.V.! The world is at stake!"

Haruhi F. leaned over to the pair. "He has a point there. I'm not sure why you are treating this like some sort of game."

The twins called out from across the room. "But still, I mean, didn't mini-Kyouya here tell us it was?" Karou leaned back. "So why don't we just treat it as such?" Hikaru leaned forward instead, eyes at Haruhi F. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Lelouch chuckled, casting the twin an amused glance. "The worst is that we all could die I suppose." Suzaku raised his eyebrows. "Not really the answer these guys wanted. I bet none of them have even been in combat ever!"

C.C stared blankly at Jun. "Yes. You knew that this would result in a fight to save the world, yet you chose the majority children who have never seen the images of war." She crossed her arms, sinking lower in her bean bag chair. "Not a very wise decision."

Huni, who had been uncharacteristically silent this whole time, raised his voice. "M-Maybe this is just a dream." He turned to Mori. "Takashi, don't I get bad dreams when I eat too much cake before bedtime?" "…Ah."

It seemed Mori wasn't even sure anymore.

Tamaki though, decided to take matters into his owns hands. With a finger pointed to the night sky above, he called out to Jun. "Mini-Kyouya, I as the Ouran Host Club President demand to see exactly what we have to do to get out of this!" Still standing, Tamaki had his arms crossed eyes narrowed. "We quit."

Jun gave the blonde a sad smile, before gesturing him to sit down. "I'm sorry, but quitting is no longer an option." And with that he brought the robot to full height, walking it toward the center of the valley the teens had found themselves in but moments before.

"Now look there, past the mountain. What do you see?"

Everyone turned in their chairs to crane a look, before Kyon spotted it first. "It's a…it's a…"

Haruhi S. beat her fist in her open palm, a grin on her face. "It's a robot!"

Lelouch turned to his two companions. "Let the games begin I suppose."

Jun looked over at C.C. and smiled bitterly.

"Anyone can pilot this robot, believe it or not. Fourteen others and myself were in the same circumstances as you all are now, a short time ago..."

C.C. frowned. "This has happened before...?" But, before she could further inquire, she too turned to see the robot. She and Suzaku then nodded at Lelouch's words.

Jun took a deep breath before concentrating just like he remembered doing a while ago. On his command, the robot began to move one step at a time towards the enemy. The enemy robot was also made of black metal, although lower to the ground than Zearth and with at least nine legs.

"Reminds me of...what a scorpion looks like." Huni mused, tilting his head to the side.

"We're fighting a giant, metal, scorpion..." Hikaru muttered, shaking his head.

"And that looks like one sharp stinger." Kaoru winced with a nod.

Once Jun was in striking range of the enemy, he began to speak.

"The way to win in a robot fight is to destroy the enemy power source." Both of Zearth's long, needle-like arms shot forward and at the robot's shell, making a sizable gash down the armor. In return, one of the enemy's pincers clamped down on one of Zearth's legs. Jun smiled weakly before kicking that leg forwards and at the scorpion-like enemy's head. The head went flying off and into the mountain.

"Once you are in control of the robot, you become knowledgeable of all its capabilities." Jun continued. A laser shot from Zearth into the gash that had been made earlier. The result was that the creature was split down the middle. Jun reached forward with one of the robot arms and transformed the tip into what almost looked like a hand or perhaps a set of claws. He reached into the carnage and took out a proportionately small, yellow, orb. "This is what the power source looks like. Once you've destroyed this, you've defeated the robot." And, with that message, Jun had Zearth squeeze its claws in upon the power source and crush it.

"We...We've won?" Lelouch blinked eyes wide.

"Just like that?" Suzaku also sounded surprised.

"One battle, at least." Jun said with a nod and a sad smile. "But, there are still fourteen more. Many of which will be more difficult. And now it's up to all of you."

The scenery of the outside world faded and diminished into the shadows of the cockpit as all of the chairs that risen up into what seemed to be the air, settled back down.

Kyon, realizing they had been up in the air this whole time, held onto the back of his chair, eyes turned to Jun. "So the robot we just beat, could have been full of people like us?"

Haruhi S. rolled her eyes, jumping up to give the boy a good whack on the head.

"Please Kyon! You honestly think they would expect us to murder people like that!?"

Kyouya muttered to himself. "Considering what has happened so far, it's not entirely impossible."

Yuki turned to the glasses-clad boy, nodding in agreement. "Yes."

Asahina, quiet for some time, turned to Koizumi. "I-I don't want to do this anyone."

The esper in turn rubbed the back of his head, eyes distant. "I don't think anyone of us wants to deal with the pressure."

Lelouch lazily looked back at the boy. "Pressure? Believe me when my friends and I have been put through much more, in a shorter period of time."

Suzaku nodded, addressing the circle. "I'm sure it'll be fine guys. It's not as hard as you think to pilot one of these, even though it may be ten times larger than what we're used to."

Hikaru snorted. "Then why don't you three take over this and let us go home." Karou nodded, as well as everyone in the host club.

"Besides…" Haruhi F., ever the sensible one, turned to Jun. "I mean, do you fully expect our parents to understand why we will be gone periodically? And you think someone would have noticed that a giant robot battle just had taken place here."

Haruhi S. turned to Haruhi F.. "You would be surprised at how ordinary humans ignore even the slightest thing interesting."

Jun sat back, already feeling the effects of piloting the robot running through him. Who knew winning, so long ago, would really only buy him more time, but not escape. Because when you have this, _game_, enter your life. You can really never escape the end.

Jun looked up at the, his young body rising from his small, wooden chair. "You will have someone to guide you through the rest of the battles I assure you. Whether you succeed or not," He took of his glasses, grey eyes bright at them all. "I suppose it's up to you really."

Huni was the one to point out to the others the newest advancement.

"Oh! Mini-Kyouya, he disappeared!"

Jun had the faintest trace of a smile at the nickname, before fading away for the last time. His glasses clattered to the floor, his purpose done. He only hoped things would find a way to end differently for these unfortunate victims.

The others turned their attention to the chair where the boy was just moments before. Empty now except for his round, rimless glasses. The lenses slightly glaring.

* * *

**Heheh. Things are now getting interesting. Next chap will be up soon, and finally, the fun will begin. Including both demented fun AND humor fun XD**

**~til next time**


	4. Courage

Haruhi S. jumped out of her chair and bent down, picking up what Jun had apparently left behind. His round, rimless glasses.

"Okay, things had just gotten a thousand times cooler!" Kyon had his mouth dropped open. Surely Haruhi wasn't this heartless? That kid just disappeared in front of them! Doesn't that warrant some fear?

Lelouch sighed. Either that girl was extremely stupid or extremely uncaring. "Maybe, we should return to our homes. Chances are our families are going to be hearing about this in the news and will be wondering where we are…" He suggested.

Haruhi F. nodded. "Maybe, that'd be for the best." She was beginning to wonder about her father. Hopefully, he wasn't too worried about her. They all had certainly disappeared suddenly. And goodness knows for how long they'd all been gone...

"That's probably for the best, but how do we get out of here anyway?" Hikaru asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh, d-didn't we just teleport here?" Asahina recalled, frowning slightly. "But…How did that happen?"

"I don't know." Kyouya now spoke. "But doesn't it seem significant that the chairs we're sitting in are those that are most familiar to us? I know Tamaki has that throne of his set up in the club room. I've seen Haruhi's chair at her house. And I remember having this chair in my own office room back-"

But, just as Kyouya was about to finish that sentence, he seemed to have disappeared.

"MOTHER!" Tamaki exploded suddenly, running over to Kyouya's black chair and staring at it in shock. "Mother, where did you go?!

"Huh?" Haruhi S. looked confused. "That guy was this guy's…?"

Haruhi F. looked over at her and shook her head.

"It's just senpai being himself. You see, in his eyes, the whole host club's family. Tamaki-senpai's the father. And Kyouya-senpai, with the glasses, is 'mother'. The rest of us are their children." She explained, smiling weakly.

After a minute or so, Kyouya re-appeared in the chair, looking a little surprised.

"I think I found out how we leave this place." He stated matter-of-factly. "We just think about where the other copies of these chairs are and we'll appear sitting in those chairs back home or wherever else they are. And, to return here, we just think about the robot Zearth." Behind the glasses, he looked actually mystified that such technology, almost completely controlled by thought alone, could exist. And he also wondered whether or not the people who created such technology would mind selling the patents for it…

"WOAH! Really?" Hikaru and Kaoru stood up with grins on their faces, staring at Kyouya. "That's incredible!"

Suddenly, though, all of the chairs began to move. Feeling this, anyone who wasn't already standing hopped out of their chairs and backed away to watch as all of the seats began to spin in a circle.

"Wh-What's going on?" Asahina gasped out.

"Can this day get any _weirder_?" Kyon groaned.

"You mean, can this day get any _cooler_?!" Haruhi S. sounded ecstatic about everything that was happening.

It wasn't long before a large symbol beneath their feat began to glow. It was round at the center with a ledge jutting out towards the ring of furniture.

"It…It looks like some sort of…_roulette_." Lelouch narrowed his eyes as the furniture began to slow down until one seat eventually stopped on that ledge of the inner circle. The symbol glowed brightly for a moment before fading. The roulette had stopped on a Tatami mat.

"Hm?" Suzaku suddenly looked up and his eyes darted around the room.

"Something wrong, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked him, raising an eye brow.

"No, nothing. It's just…Did someone say my name?" Suzaku sounded perplexed as he got blank stares from everyone else.

"No one said anyone's name." Huni murmured, his eyes wide.

Hikaru thought about it. "Hmm…Didn't mini-Kyouya say something about…" Kaoru connected, "The next pilot being chosen randomly, with us knowing when it was our turn?"

"That sounds like it fits what just happened." Kyouya agreed.

C.C. looked over at her comrade. "I suppose you're the next pilot, Kururugi Suzaku."

Suzaku nodded. "I think I'll do all right. Robots aren't new to me, after all."

Lelouch nodded at him before turning to the others. "Well, I suppose we should all take our leave, now?"

"Right." Kyouya sighed. "And, I suppose, we'll all have no choice but to show up for the next battle, when it inevitably comes."

"_Unless_ this is all a dream." Huni reminded hopefully.

"I sure as hell hope it isn't!" Haruhi S. pouted as she sat down in her metal seat and disappeared.

Others followed suit with their own seats and, eventually, the cockpit was completely empty.

----

Why did he feel this enormous sense of dread?

As Suzaku washed his face at the bathroom sink, he thought about the events and revelations that had occurred just an hour or so ago. So, the earth was in danger. That much he understood. So, where were these robots coming from? Who created them? And was the only purpose really for this "game" to take place?

_Maybe, they come from some alien planet? _He considered as he began to brush his teeth. _And maybe…Maybe, what the others were talking about, with people using that robot against us…Maybe, they were right. _Well, that certainly didn't sound good at all, since for all he Suzaku knew, those people could have been dragged into this just as well as he had been. But, then again, the world being destroyed sounded even worse.

As he looked in the mirror, he frowned slightly. Something didn't feel _normal_. And it wasn't the sense of foreboding from the possibility that there were people in the other robots as well. Then again, it wasn't as if there was anything wrong. Just…different. As he began to unbutton his school uniform to replace it with a night shirt, he found out what it was.

"So, I guess this is another little thing about being the next pilot." He mumbled to himself as he saw that he now had what looked like a strange tattoo on his chest. It was a circle, seven inches in diameter, with what looked similar to tiger stripes on one half and much finer lines on the other half. The coincidence of the day's events with _this_ suddenly appearing on his chest was just too perfect.

Suzaku wondered whether or not it was permanent. Though it wouldn't have been so bad if it was, he decided. It was strange looking, perhaps, but also somewhat pleasing to look at. Then again, it was probably only there to mark him as the next pilot for Zearth. Which meant it would probably disappear once he defeated the enemy robot.

_Right…_ He thought. _After all of us defeat fourteen more robots, everything will go back to normal._

At least, that was what he hoped.

-----

Lelouch sighed before looking over at C.C.

"I suppose that my plans as Zero will have to be delayed for a bit. I can't exactly be disappearing during one of my plans due to having to save the world from something that no one even knows about." He smiled weakly.

"That's true." C.C. nodded. "And you also can't just disappear during a giant robot fight to put one of your rebellion plans into action. They also would probably investigate you thoroughly if you told them that you were riding in Zearth. So, I guess you'll have to settle with one mission or the other."

"Haha. Now, I have two lives to keep secret, I suppose." The rebel leader leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I just hope that these enemy robots come quickly. I want them all to be destroyed so that I can fully dedicate my time to the Black Knights."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lelouch looked up as C.C. spoke. "There's a good chance that there really are humans in those other robots."

"It's a shame." Lelouch admitted. "But, to save this world, to save Nunnally, we have to destroy all fourteen enemies. That's just the way this 'game' works…And, as that Ushiro Jun made quite clear to us, there's nothing we can do to get out of it."

"I suppose…" C.C. hugged her favorite plushy, 'Cheese-kun', before looking over at Lelouch. "Didn't Jun say something about eventually hearing about the robot battle in the news?"

"I think so." Lelouch, just to see if it had happened, turned on the television set and switched to the news channel.

-----

For a good while, Tamaki Suoh just lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Nope, no sleeping for him. Not yet, at least. And, of course, how _could_ he sleep? The world was in danger and he was sharing the burden with fourteen others – some he knew and some he didn't. What if he failed? There was always that possibility, Tamaki knew. What if Tamaki just couldn't control that robot properly? 'Zearth', he believed mini-Kyouya called it. Nice name. But, what was worse was that possibility that others were talking about. If the enemy robot really did have people in it…Could Tamaki _kill_ to save the world? It was a nauseating and depressing thought for the Suoh boy. So, he tried his best to push the whole issue – Zearth, the world, murder, failure – out of his mind for the time being.

But, since Tamaki couldn't sleep, he decided he'd watch some T.V. Yes, that's what he'd do. T.V was usually so boring that it put him to sleep, anyway. Particularly the news channel made him drift off into his own world at night and he'd fall asleep with the T.V still on, wasting tons of electricity. But, hey, he could pay for it. Just as long as he got some

Tonight wasn't going to be one of those nights.

As he prepared himself to zone out, Tamaki suddenly found himself interested in the news. Supposedly, there had been an earth quake off the coast of Britannia. Hadn't he gone there earlier today? But, he hadn't felt any earth quakes…had he? _No. _Tamaki's eyes widened. _But, I know what __**felt**__ like an earthquake._

So, the news had indeed reported something. But, hadn't anyone seen the giant robots? They were kind've hard to miss. Tamaki had the feeling that something strange was going on…But, he had absolutely no idea what it was.

-----

The Hitachiin twins, meanwhile, were watching the news with interest.

"Hmmm…? So, the government covered it all up, huh?" Hikaru stuck his tongue out.

"Typical." Both he and Kaoru deadpanned with a roll of the eyes. There was no way that locals could miss the giant robot fight that happened right over some of their heads, after all. Unless, of course, some of them really had thought it was all an earth quake and were hiding under their tables and door frames the entire time, Kaoru pointed out.

"Yeah, but then there's the giant robot footprints in the trees that got flattened.." Hikaru reminded.

"Yeah, wonder why no one's reporting _those_."

"Like I said," Hikaru began. "Government is keeping it a secret." Kaoru connected.

"Yeah, they're probably telling all the locals – the ones that did see something, I mean – that it was all a hallucination." Hikaru laughed.

"Good luck to them the next time an enemy comes around, then." Kaoru muttered. "I doubt they can pull the same magic trick twice, after all."

Indeed, the twins were treating this as they always did – taking everything in stride.

-----

Huni was wide awake in his bed, Usa-chan hugged tightly to his chest. The Lolita type was finding it hard to calm down with a slice of warm cake, as he often did at night.

The day's events were getting to him, and he couldn't fully find it within himself to calm down. Sure this fighting came easy, Huni was a skilled martial artist after all. But the fact other people could get hurt, there could be kids just like them in the robots they had to face.

He sunk back in his bed, curled up into a ball.

This was getting him nowhere. Why didn't he try dreaming, counting bunnies like he often did in a pinch?

So he shut his eyes, mind at work trying to imagine pink bunnies hopping over a fence. Pink bunnies hopping over a fence to eat cake. Pink bunnies hopping over a fence to eat cake to get squashed by Zearth-

Huni bolted up again, trembling.

That wasn't right.

So Huni reached out to the phone next to him, dialing his cousin's number.

"T-Takashi?"

"Mitsukuni."

Huni lowered himself to the pillows, tugging on the end of Usa-chan's ear nervously.

"I-I'm scared."

Mori too was uneasy, lying face up on his bed. Staring at the wooden ceiling above.

This whole mess had thrown a loop in his entirely methodical life, and caused his cousin to worry.

He shut his eyes, hand to his forehead. And this whole deal with piloting. A robot no less. Why couldn't it have a sword?

Mori turned his mouth into a rare, wry smile. Things would have been so much easier.

"T-Takashi?"

"I'm here."

Huni nodded to himself, eyes closing as he tried to sleep once more.

"You think everything will turn out okay?"

Mori paused for a few seconds, mind busy. Break the truth, and be brutally honest with his older cousin? Or play on to his fantasy, and give the boy a good night's sleep?

The answer was easy enough, for the tallest host club member.

"Yes."

------

Kyouya Ohtori was far from asleep.

No, his precious time atop the silken sheets of his bed was to be sacrificed for the time being.

All of this, it just didn't add up.

The minute he found his way home, as odd and unbelievable it was, he had been typing away endlessly at his laptop.

Trying to find some information on this, Zearth. On this whole robot thing that boy Jun, had been saying.

Before he just disappeared.

That was the part that unnerved him the most.

No one just vanished into thin air.

But then again, his ever so helpful mind was sure to chirp back that no one would normally find themselves mercenary soldiers for the future of the world.

And did no one in the host club even find this a bit odd?

Granted Tamaki had been more sullen than usual, along with Huni. But everyone else nearly took this in stride.

Not to mention that other brown-haired girl nearly exploding from joy at this turn of events.

He stopped mid-pace, deciding to sit down atop his chair. One that had been inside the cockpit of a 500 meter tall, contraption not hours before.

His research gave no answers, and it seemed the world hadn't thought anything more different tonight than the last. Perhaps they were covering it up?

Although the fact the world was just as ignorant as Tamaki sometimes wasn't that far-fetched either.

So Kyouya, thoroughly frustrated his sharp mind couldn't find any reasonable answer for this, swerved the chair around, facing his desk.

Hands ready, the familiar clack of typing echoed throughout the room.

When in doubt, use the internet.

He smirked to himself. No one could keep things secret forever, especially from the Shadow King himself. And perhaps he would start his search with a name.

_Ushiro Jun…_Kyoua paused, before hitting enter.

The results flashed back at his glasses, his surprise shielded by the glare.

----

Kyon had had enough with all this. Aliens perhaps. Time-travelers sure. Espers even, not that big of a shock anymore. Hell, he even believed in the existence of a girl who figuratively was a god!

But giant robots waging intergalactic war on Earth.

No dice.

So Kyon found himself not able to go to sleep, as he was sure his other friends and people met were going through. Seriously, who could sleep after this was dumped onto your shoulders?

With no padding either?

At least he had Yuki, Miss Asahina, and Koizumi to break the news gently of his far from normal world. Even if he still thought they all had screws loose.

But was he cursed or something?!

Why did the boy so desperately trying to be normal and live a normal life get thrust into these weirdo schemes, no better than a movie you find late night on the science fiction channel?

So Kyon flopped down on his bed, door still open. His sister timidly made her way in, Kyon's less than amiable nature evident.

"K-Kyon?"

He sighed, eyes at the wall in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"I j-just wanted to say good night."

Kyon shifted over in his bed, back to her.

"Alright. Good night."

Kyon's sister nodded, closing the door behind her. Something was off, and something bad was going to happen. She pretty much had that same feeling in her tummy that she always had, around her big brother's friends. But this time, it wasn't all that pleasant.

Kyon wouldn't want to listen though, and she was right.

Right now the boy was all but trying to block out the day's events.

He had enough weirdness for one day.

----

Miss Asahina was taking a walk, clearing her head. She often loved night most of all, due to the brisk, clean air it gave. It seemed even this time zone hadn't changed that fact.

The appearance of the robot itself hadn't stemmed from her worry, but the fact she was given no warning, at the raw feeling it gave off.

Just being in that cockpit was overwhelming her with this sense of dread.

And seeing all those faces, so young, more than half she had never met.

It broke her heart to think such a thing like fighting was to befall them all.

And what if they failed? If the world was indeed destroyed, by the enemy robot?

Would that mean her own world, in the future, would perish? Cease to exist?

She sat down in a nearby bench, hands covering her face, bent over. She shook her head, tears threathing to fall.

Would she be the cause of destruction, for the entire future?!

Such a though, it only made her cry out in the empty park.

She wasn't cut out for this at all.

-----

Yuki was at her house.

Sitting down on her cushion.

Facing her table.

Not much for her to say, her mind was already far from the day's events.

Perhaps Haruhi Suzumiya had caused this. Was she unhappy with the current world standing?

But brining in more life forms, close to her age.

Were they just illusions, students made for the moment?

Or perhaps the world hadn't changed as much as she suspected.

Yuki turned towards the skyline to her right.

If they did indeed lose, and all this destroyed. Was she, as a non-inhabitant of this Earth, also suffer?

If only she was given more direct orders by her superiors.

---

Koizumi was also at a loss. He had not been expecting this anywhere. For the usually observant esper, this came straight out of left field.

And by the normal nature of the city, it seemed no one had suspected the robot battle that had just taken place.

Not that he minded.

The less civilians had to get involved in this the better.

It was already bad so many other teens had to had been through this whole Zearth thing.

And the mysterious disappearance of that Jun boy, it didn't exactly bring his mind to ease..

Koizumi leaned against the wall of his temporary room, the night sky greeting him.

Kyon wasn't all that thrilled, much opposite to Miss Suzumiya's excitement. His heart was out for Miss Asahina though. This fighting thing was exactly out of her nature. And Yuki, who knew what she was thinking, as usual.

He wasn't a mind reader after all.

He chuckled to himself, trying to bring light as always.

But perhaps the best way to go through this was take it in paces, give comfort when needed, and stay back.

Someone had to be the calm one in this situation after all.

-----

Haruhi Suzumiya was ecstatic. FINALLY something interesting had happened!

Here she was going through life, boring as usual. When they got a note to help with what she secretly also thought would be a petty problem, when they now find themselves recruited in a robot war!

It was better than that Day of Sagittarius game by far, against that geeky computer club.

And Kyon wanted to get out of this contract?

She punched her pillow, leaning against her wall.

"He really is an idiot." She mumbled out loud to her room.

Too excited to sleep Haruhi fought the urge to call up the SOS brigade, and put them on conference call or something.

Surely SOMEONE wanted to talk about all this!

It was the SOS Brigade's prime debut, in the world of all things paranormal!

She nodded to herself. Yes, exactly what she had wished for.

And as she often went through life, if she wished for it hard enough, it came true!

Just ask, well anyone in her club. They were obviously going to topple all those other has-beens in the robot with her friends.

They all looked like stuck-up snobs anyways.

So Haruhi brought her attention to Jun's glasses, still on her night table.

And a missing boy?! Another mystery to solve in the mean time.

Life was finally good.

She laughed out, never mind it was late at night.

"This is going to be so awesome!"

And what's sad is that Haruhi S made sure to squelch the small hint of apprehension she had at this whole thing.

Like usual, she was going to throw caution to the wind, and ignore her natural instincts.

What was the worst that could happen?

Her only regret was that she wasn't chosen first to pilot the robot.

The moonlight cast a soft glow on the abandoned glasses.

----

After spending at _least_ fifteen minutes calming her father down as well as what felt like fifty years lying through her teeth about why she'd been gone so long, a very guilty Haruhi Fujioka finally managed to convince Ranka Fujioka that she had simply left the Host Club and gone shopping, but had been unable to find what she was looking for at one store and ended up going to every other store in the city. Thankfully, Haruhi's father was not always the type to cross-interrogate. So, she managed to get off with a, "Don't scare me like that!" before finally flopping down on to her bed and turning on her side to stare off into the great beyond.

Haruhi hated to lie. And, for the most part, she was bad at it. However, her father was just so happy that his little girl was alive and well when there had been an earth quake at some nearby continent around the time that she had been gone. So, you could say that Ranka was more worried about what he was going to make for Haruhi's "Thank God, You're Alive!!!" dinner than actually trying to see through her lies.

Because, of course, why would Haruhi Fujioka, best daughter in the world, lie to her own father?

_Because he wouldn't believe me…? Because he might tell the government and we really don't want to make this their concern? Hmm… _It hurt Haruhi to deceive her father this way, of course. But, sometimes there really were no other options.

Then again, at least Haruhi wasn't trying to lie to _Kyouya_-senpai, she reminded herself. Now, that was one person who could probably cross-interrogate like the shadow king he was. She chuckled at the thought. For all the shadows and evil that Kyouya seemed to surround himself with, Haruhi knew that, deep down, Kyouya really wasn't a bad guy. He just…was a rich bastard. Yeah, that was it.

"Daughter! _Haruhi!_ Come watch the news! Quickly!" Haruhi looked up as she heard Ranka's near panicked voice. "Some…Some giant robot is appearing near that country Britannia!"

…_Oh, God._ Haruhi, realizing what needed to be done, instinctively ran right past her father and the television. She didn't even bother asking what was Britannia and when it became a country.

"Sorry, Dad, gotta go somewhere! Really sorry!" And, with that, she found the chair that matched the one in Zearth. Haruhi sat down, thought of Zearth, and disappeared.

-----

Initially, when Haruhi Fujioka appeared sitting in her chair in the cockpit of Zearth, there weren't that many others who had seen the news. Tamaki, the twins, and those three who supposedly had experience with robots of their own were the only other ones that sat in the cockpit, now.

"Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi F looked over at the Host Club king. "Did you call the other hosts?"

"Y-Yeah." Tamaki answered with an uncharacteristic weariness. It was even clearer, looking at his face and listening to his voice, just how much these battles were going to affect their pilots.

Soon enough, Huni, Mori, and Kyouya all appeared sitting in their own chairs. Huni had a very distant expression on his face, as if he was lost in thought. Mori, though it was less obvious, also seemed to be handling this the same way. Kyouya, however, his glasses glaring brightly, was practically impossible to read as always.

"Heh." Hikaru chuckled quietly. "I guess that the government…"

"Couldn't succeed in covering this one up, right, Hikaru?" Kaoru finished with a wry smile. Hikaru nodded.

"So, is that 'S.O.S. Brigade' coming?" Lelouch asked calmly, thinking that that most of that particular club was a little bit wacked in the head.

"Who knows? But, probably." Kyouya replied. "Their leader seemed to be very enthusiastic about this."

"I remember that…" Haruhi F. muttered, remembering how overly excited the other brunette had seemed about this. It was very naïve, actually. More naïve than Miss Fujioka herself was at times.

After a few more minutes or so of silent contemplation among teens, the final five pilots finally showed up. They all looked very surprised, like they'd been in the middle of something. Probably, for most of them, contemplation.

"Huh? H-How did this happen? I wasn't s-sitting in my chair…" Asahina stuttered.

Kyouya shrugged.

"I suppose that any contracted pilots who don't show up ahead of time will be brought here forcefully." He spoke calmly, subduing the shock of what he'd just researched for later discussion.

"Well, that's fine by me!" Haruhi S. grinned. "Now! Robot battle!"

"Well, I suppose that it's time." Suzaku sighed with a weak smile and a nod as the darkness around the fifteen teens diminished to reveal the now deeper black night sky. Apparently, the robot was now standing in the ocean near the Britannian coast. The current pilot looked around and sighed. "This is…near my home." He murmured, remembering how so many trees had been flattened in the first battle. There was no reason why the same couldn't happen to a building. Or to other people.

"Well, do your best, Suzaku." Lelouch said with an encouraging smile.

"Right." Suzaku nodded as he turned to see the enemy robot almost finished forming. Once his opponent was ready, Suzaku brought Zearth up to it's full height. He remembered that Jun had said this robot was controlled by will and mind alone. That was amazing to Suzaku, who was used to having to use strength and athletic ability for the knightmare frame he used as an Honorary Britannian knight.

Other pilots examined the enemy robot and found it actually resembled a human, like Zearth. However, this robot had smoother edges and had accents of white as well as red stripes in some areas.

"Hmph. Zearth is _way_ cooler." Haruhi S. stated proudly. "Destroy it!"

_Well, __**duh**__._ Haruhi F just couldn't help but think. _That's what we're here for._

Ignoring the loud brunette, Suzaku took a deep breath and tried his best to move the robot with his will. He succeeded and began to walk Zearth towards the enemy. Both robots raised their arms at once at struck at each other.

"Damn!" Suzaku cursed, shifting slightly on his tatami mat. "This robot moves so sluggishly compared to what I'm used to…"

"Then, get _used_ to it!" Haruhi S. shouted out from the sidelines.

"Will you please be quiet?" C.C. asked her simply.

"Heh." Suzaku smirked. "Actually, I think that she's right about getting used to it." And, just like that, the pilot ripped a sharp-pointed arm through the enemy robot's chest, causing it to stagger back a bit. But, Suzaku moved Zearth a few surprisingly quick steps forward, turned the tip of one of the arms into a clawed hand and reached over to rip the enemy's head off. It seemed stunned for a moment before lashing out with an arm and having that arm cut off by Zearth.

"Cool!" Hikaru and Kaoru exclaimed, this time simultaneously with Haruhi S.

"Hmm…Where could that power core be?" Koizumi tilted his head to the side.

"I'm going to make a guess." Suzaku braced himself before reaching forward with Zearth's clawed hand and pulling out a familiar-looking, yellow, sphere from the enemy's chest. It had been easy, since the robot was almost defenseless. The pilot had the core crushed in Zearth's claws before breathing a sigh of relief.

"You won." Lelouch said with a small smile.

Suzaku nodded.

"Yeah…" Something felt strange, though, but he couldn't put his finger on it…

"Awesome!!!" Haruhi S jumped up out of her chair. "Hey! There's something I've been wanting to do! Think we can stand on top of Zearth and see the world?"

"Probably, if we think about it…" Kyouya murmured, referring to this robot's entirely thought-powered functions.

"That's right!" Haruhi S. snapped her fingers before disappearing.

Hikaru looked at Kaoru. They both grinned and disappeared. Eventually, deciding that it might seem pretty cool (or simply feeling that they were being dragged along) everyone followed suit and eventually appeared on top of Zearth's shoulder.

"WOW! Look at this amazing view!" Haruhi S. exclaimed, spinning around. Her face was a picture of delight. And, settling into the mood, others began to look and feel the same way as they gazed down at the world below. 500 meters above the ground did indeed give a great perspective and made things feel much less grim. Maybe, this wasn't going to _be_ so bad. Maybe, they all really could pilot this robot and save the earth. Was there really a chance that everything would go back to normal after all of this? For this moment, it certainly made sense to believe so. There was hope, perhaps. These fifteen teens, some average and some not-so-average, could become heroes like Suzaku had just become.

Yes. That was how it seemed.

Suzaku took a few steps forward to stand near the edge of the shoulder. He smiled.

"Seeing the world from above like this, being so close to the stars, and realizing how beautiful it all is…Makes me glad that I've helped protect all this." He spoke softly.

Lelouch sighed, but smiled as well as he walked over to his long-time friend.

"We should head back. Our families are probably worried sick, by now." He turned, but then frowned when he didn't hear Suzaku's reply. This frown deepened when most everyone let out an audible gasp. Lelouch spun around in time to see his friend fall off of Zearth's shoulder and into the shadowy ocean below.

"What just-…?" Haruhi F.'s eyes were wide. That didn't look normal to her.

"Oh, _God_!" Asahina looked shocked, probably trembling more than ever. "Did h-he just-…?" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Suzaku!!!" Lelouch listened as the water 500 meters down splashed at Suzaku's impact.

Haruhi S. just stared for a moment. _Clutz…But…He didn't…__**seem**__ like one…How did that… _Not even she was entirely sure how to react.

C.C frowned.

"Am I the only one who didn't think that was an accident?"

Kyouya narrowed his eyes.

"We should discuss it in the cockpit." He murmured, trying to stay cool after basically just watching someone fall to their inevitable death. It was difficult.

Lelouch was the last still standing on Zearth's shoulder after others did as Kyouya suggested.

"Suzaku." He sighed and shook his head before disappearing as well.

-

"Okay. That did _not_ seem normal." Hikaru stated when they all were present in the cockpit. Or, at least, _almost_ all. Kaoru nodded in silent agreement.

"He…He might have _slipped_." Asahina whispered hopefully, biting her lip as she was still in shock.

"That didn't look like it to me." C.C sighed.

Huni looked up.

"You mean, you really think that he'd…?"

"After just saving the _world_?" Tamaki sounded disbelieving. And understandably so.

"No. He wouldn't." Lelouch shook his head. "Suzaku wasn't that kind of person."

"Then, what _happened_?!" Now, Haruhi S. practically demanded. Now even _she_ sounded displeased. Suzaku had been a good robot pilot. She had to respect that. And he'd just fallen off of the robot for seemingly no reason.

"D-Do you think…" Asahina began in a quiet voice before her volume slowly increased. "Do you think w-we should get some help? I mean…We're all just t-teens! Can we really handle this b-by ourselves?"

"Well, what are you suggesting we do?" Kyouya asked coldly. "Ask for help from the authorities?"

"Uh." Asahina, understandably, was a little unnerved by the shadow king. But, she whispered out a, "Y…Yes."

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you!" Rang a strange voice from above. The teens all looked up to see two small, plushie-like, creatures floating down to them. They looked almost mechanical and each had black spots on their cheeks. One was the color green and the other was red. It was the green one that was speaking. "Asking the government for help will cause you almost nothing but trouble. It'll almost certainly get you involved with the media. Your names may even be leaked out. No, it's best that you all just carry this burden by yourselves, I'm afraid. Less mess that way."

"Wah!" Tamaki nearly fell backwards in his throne. "Who or what are you?"

The green creature seemed to grin.

"I'm Insector Haga. That over there is my apprentice Yagami Light. We're here to guide you through these robot battles as well as answer whatever questions of yours we can. Pleased to meet ya'!" He laughed an annoying laugh.

"Oh. That's right." Huni tilted his head to the side. "Didn't that Ushiro boy mention something about someone would come to help us?"

"Yeah, I think so." Said Haruhi F. before she turned to Haga and Light. "So…He was talking about you two?"

"Mm-hm! Right on the nose." Haga seemed to nod. "And you'll be able to ask plenty of questions. But, before we do that, everyone needs to stand up. It's time to choose the next pilot."

So, putting their trust in this strange creature, the fourteen teens walked away from their chairs and watched as the furniture roulette began once again, each person wondering who would be next…

* * *

**HAHA! yes, we just killed suzaku! DEAL WITH IT! lolz. nah, im sorry for doing that, but it had to be done. sooo, who is our victim next chap? hehe**

**~til next time**


	5. Emotionless

As the chairs continued to spin around the room, Lelouch couldn't help but feel unnerved at the sight of Suzaku's tatami mat still being in the ring. No one would ever use it again, he realized.

Finally, the roulette slowed down and the seat that stopped on the symbol was a floating egalitarian chair.

Yuki blinked once as a two-inch band of intricate design appeared on the skin across her eyes.

"It's my turn."

"Awww…Lucky!" Haruhi S. pouted. She'd wanted it to be her turn. "But, at least someone from the amazing S.O.S. Brigade is going next!"

"I really don't see how it's so amazing…" Kyon muttered to himself before getting a glare from Haruhi S.

"All right, then. So, we know who the next pilot is." Tamaki turned to Haga. "Now, then, I'm sure we all have some questions. Will you really answer all of them?"

"I can't promise that." Haga laughed. "But, I'll answer any questions I can." He turned and looked over at his apprentice. "Hey, Light, you listen to the answers, all right? You're going to have to guide a group of pilots like this eventually. Pay attention!"

Light responded that may have been a glare. So, Haga just shrugged and turned to the kids.

"Well, all right. What do you people want to know?"

"Is there really no way to get out of this?" Lelouch asked.

"What are we going to do about our parents noticing our sudden disappearances whenever a robot shows up?" Haruhi F. sighed.

"Is there a single normal thing in this whole mess?" Kyon groaned.

"Why do we have to take orders from stuffed animals?" Kyouya asked calmly.

"Do stuffed animals like you and Light come in different colors?" Huni chirped.

"When am _I_ gonna get to pilot the robot?" Haruhi S. pouted.

"Why are they asking such stupid questions?" Light deadpanned.

"I have no idea, Light. I thought I was being nice letting them barrage me with questions like this…" Haga sighed before turning to the others. "All right. I'll address Lelouch's issue first: No. There is no way. Once you've been contracted, which happened when you placed your hand upon that metal plate back at the abandoned warehouse, you are permanently drafted as a pilot. Sorry. Tough luck. As for your question, Haruhi Fujioka, that's really all up to you and the other pilots. You could decide to tell your parents about it and trust that they won't tell the authorities about it. Or you could simply keep it a secret and tell them that you've been out with friends or something. But, either way, it's not like they can keep you from piloting Zearth in the end. Anyone who doesn't come here on their own will, after all, will be brought here forcefully by yours truly. Oh. And…"

At this point, Haga glided over to Kyouya with a grin and hissed in his face,

"Since when did we 'stuffed animals' ever try to order you around? We're here to _help_ you, you ungrateful tall version of Ushiro Jun! But, you know, if I wanted to order you around, I could easily just threaten to teleport a bus or something over your head! But, I won't. Not unless you keep _pissing me off_. **Do I make myself **_**clear**_**, Ohtori Kyouya?!**"

There was a pause. No one had ever dared to speak to Kyouya, an Ohtori, like that before. Whoever this Haga was, he certainly had a lot of nerve.

But, quickly getting bored of Kyouya, Haga turned to Kyon.

"And, yes, Kyon. There is _one_ normal thing in all of this: You."

"Uhh…Thanks." Kyon deadpanned.

"I'm serious. Kyon, you are the most normal person here. In fact, you could even say that you're the odd one out regarding the rest of the pilots." Haga chuckled.

"Oh, that's not true! Those people…" Haruhi S. laughed, pointing at the Host Club. She clearly thought that she was standing up for Kyon. "Those people over there are just as normal as Kyon!"

Haga looked over at who Haruhi S. was pointing at. Then, he turned back to her and grinned.

"Ah…No. Those people, in a sense, are not normal. They may all be what you'd call 'normal humans', but most of them have personalities that are far from normal. I can assure you that."

But, then Haga looked over at Huni.

"And, yes, Haninozuka. There are others who take the same form as Light and I that come in different colors." He answered awkwardly before turning to Haruhi S. "It's chosen randomly. I make sure of that. You'll just have to wait your turn like everybody else."

"Hmph." Haruhi S. scowled. "_Fine_. Whatever."

"Another question:" Hikaru began. "How do you know all our names?" Kaoru finished.

"Simple." Haga grinned. "When you were contracted, all kinds of information was recorded about you. It's pretty easy for me to access the Zearth information storage and find out everything I need to know. Which is why I haven't showed up until now. I've been learning all of your names. It's also why I know that Haruhi Fujioka over there…" He looked over at her. "Is female."

There was a long pause. Then, from the S.O.S. Brigade and Lelouch, there came a resounding,

"_REALLY?!_"

"I was wondering about that…" Koizumi chuckled.

"Indeed." Yuki nodded.

"I wasn't quite sure…" Lelouch admitted quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. C.C smiled and shook her head.

"I didn't know that…" Asahina admitted with a weak smile.

"WOAH! Really? I had no idea!" Haruhi Suzumiya looked truly shocked.

Kyon shrugged.

"I had the feeling that was the case."

Light groaned.

"Was that really necessary, Haga?"

"Probably not." Haga admitted with what seemed like a weak smile.

"Ugh…" Haruhi Fujioka shook her head. "This is troublesome. But, at least we're not at school right now…"

"Sorry about that, Doe-Eyes." Apparently, Haga now had a nickname for Haruhi F. "Just had to reveal the truth. Couldn't help it. Anyway…Any other questions?"

Tamaki raised his hand like an obedient student.

"Why does Light sound like me?"

"…Eh…WOAH!" Haga seemed to look from Tamaki, to Light, and back again. "Holy crap, I think he's right. You two _do_ sound the same!"

"No kidding." Light groaned.

"Well, that's embarrassing." Kyouya muttered.

"I'll say!" Haga laughed. "Those two are absolutely nothing alike! So strange…" But, then he seemed to lose interest in the issue. "Anyway, does anyone have any more _serious_ questions they would like to ask?"

"Yes, actually." Kyouya looked at Haga. "You called me a 'taller version of Jun'. Which meant you knew him, right?"

"Briefly, yes." Haga seemed to nod.

"Then, why are there no records of him?" Kyouya asked.

Haga grinned.

"That's because he was from another dimension." He answered calmly. "But, anyway, don't you think you should all be returning home? Your parents are probably worried sick about you. If you stay any longer, search parties might be sent out, hm? We'll have more Q&A tomorrow. Bye-Bye!"

And, with that, Haga teleported them all out of the Zearth cockpit and back to their respective homes.

-----

Haruhi F. was surprised to suddenly find herself sitting in a chair at her home. She heard her father's voice and peeked out of her room to indeed see her father on the phone.

"…Dad?"

"What? HARUHI!" The young girl found herself being glomped by her father without warning.

"Uh, hi, Father. I'm really sorry I was…" Haruhi began, but was interrupted.

"Haruhi, where have you _been_? I was just about to send out a search party for you!" Ranka gushed, shaking his head and squeezing his daughter more tightly.

_You were right, Haga…_ Haruhi thought with a weak smile before hugging her father back.

"I was just going to…to…" She paused before looking up at her father. "Listen, Dad…Can I ask you to keep a secret?"

She knew that she had asked the wrong thing even before Ranka gasped.

"OOOOHHH!!!! My God! Who's the lucky man, Haruhi?!" Then, Ranka's expression soured. "It's not that blonde idiot, _is_ it?"

"No, no! It…It isn't _that_, Dad." Haruhi groaned. "You know that robot that was on the news?"

"Well, actually, there were _two_ robots! And, oh, Haruhi! It was _incredible_!" Ranka shook his head. "The robots were fighting! And one of them destroyed the other, and then just disappeared! It was so…so…"

"Dad, I was _riding_ in that robot!" Haruhi exclaimed, almost on the spur of the moment. "In the one that won the battle! I…Well, it's a long story."

And she told him. Everything. About how the robot was controlled with will power, how it had to be piloted and used to defeat robots to save the world, how she, the host club, and eight strangers had taken on this task. Haruhi made him promise to keep it secret, but to know that, whenever Haruhi had to leave, that was why. Ranka found it difficult to accept at first, but he knew that his daughter wasn't the type to make this sort of thing up. So, he decided to do his best to support he and to keep it all a secret.

-----

Yuki was at her apartment again, still sitting down on the cushion in front of her table.

This did not seem right, how that boy. Suzaku she believed just plummeted to his death. For no reason. He couldn't have slipped. He wasn't close enough to the edge, and there weren't any outstanding wind conditions.

And him just deciding to kill himself, after he won his battle?

"This is odd."

Yuki rose a hand to her face, where the racoon-esque tattoo was spread over. Was this due to her being the next pilot?

Yuki wasn't worried about the fight. If it was run through mental capabilities, she was more than qualified.

But after that battle. What if, she somehow left as well? What if she died? Such a human process indeed.

And her mission, to study Haruhi Suzumiya, it was far from over. Perhaps she would be pulled out of this before it was too late? The fact that, Haga character told one of the would-be pilots that it was impossible to leave.

Yuki shook her head, eyes on the night skyline outside.

"Impossibility is merely a high improbability."

-----

"How could it happen?" Lelouch asked out loud as he leaned back in an armchair and stared at the ceiling. Suzaku hadn't looked like he'd _slipped_. It had looked like he'd just…let himself fall. But, then again, Lelouch knew Suzaku. He would never kill himself like that for simply nothing. Especially after using so much effort to protect the Earth.

"If you're talking about Suzaku…" C.C. spoke from her space in Lelouch's room. "Then, I definitely don't think his death was normal…It almost looked, with how limp he seemed, like he was dead before he'd even fallen."

"Dead before he'd fallen…? But, _how_?" Lelouch shook his head.

"I don't know." C.C spoke honestly. "I wish I could have asked Haga more questions…"

Lelouch nodded.

"Me, too. But, we'll be able to ask tomorrow."

"Right…"

Then, Lelouch's eyes widened.

"Do…Do you think that they'll ever find Suzaku's body?"

C.C looked over at him.

"Probably. It'll wash on to shore at some point."

Lelouch shuddered at the thought. His friend dead. It was horrible. And it wasn't one of those cases in which there was a possibility that Suzaku was alive. That had been a 500 meter drop. Even into water, no one could survive that…Especially not if they were already dead before falling. But, how…? Lelouch still didn't know and it bothered him so much…

-----

It was that next morning when the third robot began to form. This time, it was directly in the city square of the city in which the entire S.O.S. Brigade lived.

As the pilots of Zearth began to appear in their chairs (thanks to Haga), Koizumi looked over at the green plushie-like creature.

"By the way, Mr. Insector, is there any chance that the enemy robot appears close to wherever the next pilot lives?"

"Hm?" Haga turned to look at Koizumi. "God, you're an insufferably nice one, aren't you? Well, to answer your question, yes. That's exactly what happens. No one's quite sure why or how, but my guess is that the tattoos that appear, like the one on Monotone's face, somehow cause the robots to be drawn to the next pilot. Strange stuff…" Apparently, Haga had nicknamed Yuki, "Monotone". Because of her voice. She didn't seem to mind.

Light sighed.

"The enemy's done forming." He informed them calmly.

"All right." Haga looked around. "All present and accounted for. Ready when you are, Monotone."

Yuki, having somehow gotten used to her nickname, nodded as a view of the scenery around Zearth flooded the room's walls. The seats all began to rise. The alien knew that, with her advanced mind, defeating the robot alone would be fairly simple. The problem arose when it came to the fact that both robots were standing in a city. Therefore, minimizing casualties was also factor. Yuki decided that she would have to use precise movements as well as exact accuracy to keep herself and this enemy robot from harming those innocents below.

The alien examined her enemy. It looked similar to some sort of insanely large barrel standing on one end. Analyzing it carefully, Yuki found a weak spot. But, before she could even move, the barrel fell on its side, flattening a building or two. To the other pilots' horror, the barrel began to _roll_ over miles of city buildings, roads, homes, parks, and humans who hadn't yet begun to evacuate.

"Damn!" Lelouch cursed, eyes wide. This was getting absolutely gruesome.

"So _cruel_!" Asahina gasped, covering her face and beginning to cry quietly.

Not even Haruhi S. was smiling.

Kyouya simply stared in shock. He'd never seen so much destruction before in his life. Normally, he would have been calculating figures, evaluating the damage, making estimates regarding how much it would all cost in property damage. But, instead, he found himself watching in horror as thousands of lives were doubtless being taken.

"I just can't believe…" Hikaru whispered, eyes wider than they'd ever been. Kaoru was just speechless.

Haruhi F.'s reaction was pure horror.

"This…This…" She couldn't even string two words together.

Haga was noticeably silent.

Acting quickly, Yuki stabbed Zearth's arm forward at the barrel right as it was about to spin into her. The attack pierced between the spinning blades of the robotic barrel and, as if noticing this, the enemy robot quickly backed up and began to take a different path to try and attack Zearth from behind. That meant crushing more homes and lives in its wake. Yuki didn't hesitate for a moment. She had Zearth leap over the barrel just before impact before spinning around, turning the points at the ends of its arms into claws, and quickly picking up the barrel. She was now holding it in the crook of one mechanical arm. Yuki then reached over with the free claw and began to rip the armor off as her enemy tried to spin and drill through Zearth's own armor. But, Yuki was too fast. After pulling off more armor, she found the weak spot: A gap near the center of the barrel. Turning the claw of Zearth's free arm back into a sharp point, she stabbed straight through this gap. The spinning of the enemy robot's blades ceased. And, it seemed that Yuki had stabbed pierced the power source.

This was confirmed when Haga spoke,

"_Excellent_ work, Monotone. I'm impressed…Then again, I suppose I never expected anything less."

Yuki nodded, standing up out of her chair as the surroundings began to return to normal and the chairs floated back down.

There was contemplative silence in the cockpit for a moment before Haruhi S. spoke out,

"Yuki! That was _amazing_!"

Again, Yuki began to nod. But, this time, she froze suddenly. Her body went rigid and her eyes became wide with shock. The girl murmured something in some unknown alien language before falling forward, stiff as a board. Her glasses clattered across the floor as she fell flat on her face and did not move.

It was like time had slowed down.

"Wh-…What just happened?!" Kyon yelled out, eyes wide.

Asahina and Koizumi quickly ran over to Yuki and flipped her over on her back. Her eyes were glassy and even more lifeless than they'd appeared to usually be. Koizumi checked her pulse.

"She's…She's…" He couldn't seem to get the words out.

So Asahina assisted him,

"_DEAD!_" She screamed out before beginning to sob into her school uniform.

There was a long pause of disbelief in the room. This girl that had just fought amazingly well to protect the earth…And she was _gone_? That just couldn't be…

But, nevertheless, as others gathered to look, it was painfully confirmed: Yuki was dead.

"She…" Haruhi Suzumiya stared for a moment. _She's…gone? What? Why? _Her thoughts were darting this way and that, but on the outside she simply stuttered out in an otherwise confident tone, "Oh…Oh, well. S-She didn't do anything, anyway."

"Hm?" Haga turned to her. "Except fight to save your Earth _and_ your universe. Don't forget about _that_."

"Grr…" Haruhi S. spun around to glare at Haga. "Shut-up, you bastard!"

"Yuki's…really gone." Koizumi's eyes were wide and he was staring out into space in a sort of shock.

"I…I can't believe it." Kyon knelt down at the side of Yuki's that wasn't being occupied by another. "She just…" He'd never have someone to just let out all his rants and complaints to anymore. Yuki always listened. As Asahina continued to cry, Kyon wrapped his arms around her in a hug. This girl needed to be comforted.

C.C. stood to give Haga a firm look.

"Why?" It was more of a demand than a question. Others quieted down to listen, just as curious as C.C. was.

"Oh?" Haga turned to look at her. "You mean, no one told you? Jun disappears after winning his battle. Suzaku falls to his death without any apparent reason. And, now, Yuki dies immediately after her victory…You haven't put two and two together, yet?"

His only answer was a group of cold stares. Haga seemed to brace himself before finishing,

"Every pilot who uses this robot will die."

It was the biggest shock of the entire week of catastrophic events.

"I...I just don't believe it!" Hikaru choked out while Kaoru merely stared at Haga in a mix of disbelief and devastation.

"It's true." Haga spoke firmly, now. "That was what happened to Jun, Suzaku, and Yuki. It's what has been happening to pilots for eons. This is what is going to happen to most of _you_." Any hints of playfulness or light-hearted attitude were now utterly stripped from his tone.

C.C. remained silent in response, somehow sensing that the reason Haga seemed so ready to break this news was because he had heard the same awful truth before.

"N…No…" Tamaki shook his head vigorously, hands clamped against his temples. "That's…That's just not _right_!!!" Suzaku and Yuki had all fought to save the earth. This was a good deed. Shouldn't good deeds be _rewarded_?! It just didn't make sense, otherwise…

"I…I just can't…" Haruhi F.'s eyes were wide, her head tilted to the side as she tried to understand what Haga had told them all. She was going to die? This shouldn't have been possible. It just…It shouldn't have. "How…? Why…?" She murmured.

"No!" Lelouch hissed, fists clenched as he turned to Haga with a poisonous glare. "You don't understand how important I am? You don't understand how many hopes…"

"Oh, I believe I understand." Haga turned to him. "I believe I understand perfectly well, Lelouch, considering I've read your records. "Lamperouge" isn't your real last name, is it?"

Lelouch's glare faded slightly. He got the message. Everything about him was in Zearth's records, which was why Haga knew.

"Fine. Then, if you know, you should realize that I can't die so soon! I have to…"

"Honestly, we're all just pawns…So, _Pawn_, there's nothing I can do about your circumstances. You'll just have to make arrangements."

Lelouch shook his head in disbelief before pressing three fingers to his forehead and beginning to think.

Meanwhile, all around him, others had their own reactions.

Huni stumbled out of his chair, onto his knees. "W-What? No. No. NO!" He was shaking his head furiously, hands on his ears and eyes shut. "You can't do this to us! We didn't do anything!"

"Mitsukuni." Mori came from behind, scooping the distressed senior up in his arms. He too was scared, more in a state of shock than anything. They were to die? He echoed Huni's thoughts, for they didn't do anything, to deserve this.. And what if Huni was before him? What if he was chosen next? That would just be, horrible.

Koizumi leaned back, falling ungracefully on his bottom to the floor. Yuki's dead body was in front of them, and only now he had just received news they all would die? Why had he never received word on this, found a way to ward these robots from his Earth? And now he doubted even Haruhi would be able to change reality if she tried. Granted Haruhi still didn't know really of the hold she had on the universe, but something told him that would be rendered void in this game.

Asahina was sobbing, both for Yuki and for the inevitable future. She didn't want to die, didn't want any of her friends to die. No one should be stuck in this. It was just cruel beyond all measures. She lifted a head to Haga, eyes red and still leaking tears. "H-How can you do this? T-To all of us?" The sight of yuki brought forth another round of sobs, and Kyon took it upon himself to hug her again.

But his mind too was running anxious. He just knew that one day staying around all this stuff would be the death of him. He was joking when he said that though. He didn't really want to die. For who did? And now he had to play the strong one, try to show everyone he wasn't as terrified as he was on the inside? But Haruhi's words, were harsh. He snapped his head back, arms still holding the trembling red-head. "Haruhi shut up!"

Haruhi S merely stuck her tongue out, and sat back on her seat. Yes she was sad, without Yuki their club dwindled down to only four members. Not to mention how many of those buildings in her town, all those people. They were just pancakes really now. Ordinarily such destruction, this robot fight in general would be stimulating. But now, with all this. How if they were pilot they would die? Haruhi S wasn't so sure she wanted to be pilot anytime soon.

Kyouya kept on sitting down on his chair, watching the different reactions around him. The news hit him, like it did everyone. But to his surprise, the second he heard of the pilot's fate his eyes went to Haruhi, of the host club. But why? Why not Tamaki, or those twins, even the seniors? Was it because the thought of her, dying. His hands clenched harder on the armrests. He was right next to this Yuki girl as she died, her empty chair and body near his feet a slap in the face really. He could have just as easily been the one to die. Or Haruhi, or anyone. Kyouya loosed his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked up at Haga. Someone had to act strong now. Leave the worry for later, but now, Kyouya wanted answers. Just as how he always functioned.

"I believe you said that most would die." He pushed up his glasses with two fingers, gray eyes set in stone at their bearer of bad news. "So in reality, some of us could escape completely unharmed, yes?" There had to be a way to secure that spot for someone. Namely himself, or even Haruhi. She, just the thought of having to go on without her evaluations, without her dry commentary at their whole rich lifestyle. Having probably one of the only few people on Earth who could really and takes the time to know about him, be killed off. No justice in that, at all.

Haga made a sound as if he were inhaling sharply after listening to everyone's reactions. He would have to address those who spoke to him, now. After taking it all in, the green, mechanical, plushie-like creature spoke.

"Listen, Carrot-top. Gingerbread boy." His nicknames for Asahina and Huni, respectively. "I know it's difficult to believe, but I have _no say_ in this. I'm just a pawn, really. A pawn like all of you. Like Ushiro Jun himself was. Believe it or not, I went through exactly what you are all going through. I watched people, some of them family of mine, _die_. Was it _fair_? No! Of course, not. I won't deny that. Practically nothing in life is fair. Out of the fifteen pilots who had to fight for my earth, I'm the only one left and that's why I was given this duty to act as guidance for pilots like you. Which…" He turned to Kyouya. "I believe answers your question, partly at least. Whoever completes the final robot battle will live on to take on my position as well as this form. However, when I said 'most', I also took math into account. Count how many pilots are left, would you?"

Kyouya didn't even need to count.

"Thirteen." He answered before his eyes widened. "And there were…"

"Precisely." Haga seemed to nod. "Three robots have been destroyed. Twelve remain. Thirteen pilots. That means one of you will live on to travel to other earths as guidance. And one of you will survive to live on this earth as you have been."

Others, who had begun to listen intently to the little green plushie, were wide-eyed at this. Two people would survive, though one would never get to see this earth again. Still, this meant there was hope. Even if many people died, not _all_ of them would die. As grim as the circumstances were, it seemed as if, just for a moment, a silent sigh of relief filled the room.

"Haga…" Tamaki began to speak. "Do you control the order in which the pilots fight? Or is it really random…?"

"Normally, I make it random." Haga answered honestly. "Because I don't want to be put under the pressure of having to choose the next person to die. But, I suppose, for special cases, I do have the ability to choose…"

Lelouch took this chance to stand up.

"Insector Haga, from what you've said, I've taken to mean that, despite your form, you are human. Human like any one of us. And I've also inferred that you know about my last name. So, for the sake of human dignity, I implore you, if I can't free Area 11 and stop Britannia before these robot battles end, let me live on here on earth so I can do so! For the sake of all the lives I will be saving with my own!"

Haga turned to Lelouch.

"Hmph. When you go by logic, _Pawn_, you have a point." Apparently, that was his nickname for Lelouch. "By saving your life, I could stop more bloodshed, hm? That's what you're saying. But, then there's the issue: You're starting a rebellion, Lelouch. A full-on rebellion. And, as you can probably tell, I'm not an idiot. Rebellions cause as much death as they stop. And, besides, it's common sense that, when people are being oppressed, there will be a revolution no matter what. With or without you, Pawn, there will be a revolution. Don't inflate your head as to think that you are the only person in the world with the capacity for such a thing. Your rebellion may end, that's true. But, another will start up. It's just inevitable. So, why should I immediately hold your life above those of others around you?"

Now, _that_ took Lelouch off guard. He stood blinking at Haga for a few moments before looking away, now the slightest bit ashamed to face those pilots around him. Most of said pilots were now silent.

"Hm. Good, then. That's settled." Haga turned to the others. "Now then, unless anyone has anything else they'd like to ask, say, or _blame_ me for, the next pilot is going to have to be chosen. Anyone?" There was silence for his answer. "All right. Then, everyone who isn't up, stand up."

The pilots heeded his words, all standing up if they weren't standing already as the chairs began to spin. This had happened twice before. But, now, it was a thousand times worse. Because, now, they all knew:

The next person chosen to pilot would die.

* * *

**we are delciously evil aren't we? i have a feeling next chap, and the pilot chosen...will get us some hate mail. hopefully. BUT T_T no one is reviewing or reading or caring it seems. sigh. oh well just know ur making two writers very sad **

**~til next time**


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